Ravens won over some national fans, too

If you look to the Super Bowl for a team’s Q-rating, the marketing metric used to measure the popularity and appeal of a person or thing, the Ravens -- at least unofficially -- came off as the more likeable team after Baltimore’s 34-31 win yesterday. And that certainly hasn’t been the case in recent years.

Anecdotal evidence from media reports and social media sites indicates John Harbaugh was seen as more poised, affable and telegenic than his brother, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, throughout Super Bowl XLVII.

This was probably not hard to do, as Jim Harbaugh spent the evening seemingly scowling, glowering and grimacing at everyone from the referees to his players to the poor NFL officials trying to explain the power outage at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Shots of him going thermonuclear and ripping off his headset and slamming it to the ground in frustration after an official’s call – or non-call – probably didn’t help him appeal to TV viewers, either.

Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco, beaming during the post-game celebration and modestly deflecting praise to his teammates in post-game interviews, also came off well, with many viewers saying they had never before seen the laconic Ravens quarterback so chatty and engaging before.

Many of the other Ravens were in full nice-guy mode, too.

For the most part, Ray Lewis toned down the over-the-top theatrics he displayed after the Ravens won the AFC Championship and came across as the wise elder statesman and football legend basking more in the Ravens reaching the NFL’s “promised land” again after 13 seasons than he was in his celebrated “last ride.”

Ed Reed, the Louisiana native who may or may not be a Raven next season, radiated pure joy in the moments before and after the Vince Lombardi Trophy was presented. Terrell Suggs, who fought his way back into the lineup after two crippling injuries, was his usual playful and loquacious self. And offensive stars Anquan Boldin and Jacoby Jones made sure to credit their teammates and coaches for all the success they enjoyed in both the Super Bowl and throughout the entire season.

Both on the field and off, the Ravens appeared to represent their city well Sunday night.